IOU
by yminnie
Summary: Kim Taehyung is not the type of friend that can be classed as reliable. Min Yoongi knows this more than anybody.. The amount of times 'I owe you' has slipped out of his lips in a hurried rush..Well Yoongi's stopped keeping track.
1. Chapter 1

p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px auto 1.286em; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a; will-change: auto !important;"strongHey guys../strong/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a; will-change: auto !important;"strongBack again with yet another story, even though i haven't finished previous ones../strong/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a; will-change: auto !important;"strongAnyway, this is a Taegi that i've had the first chapter of sitting on my laptop for ages and I think I know what direction I want this to take, but please bare with me../strong/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto 0px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a; will-change: auto !important;"strongPlease give it a kudos, or leave a comment.. More chapters to come./strong/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"~~.~~/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Kim Taehyung is not the type of friend that can be classed as reliable./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Min Yoongi knows this more than anybody. Knows that Taehyung is forgetful and too quick on his feet to think about the little things, like all the favours he owes Yoongi. In fact Yoongi is the one who's constantly telling their friends that he's never trusting Taehyung with anything again. And yet in some way quite unknown to him Taehyung manages to make him cave every single time./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Like that time Taehyung 'forgot' to study for his biology exam and Yoongi; being the considerate roommate he is stayed up all night to help Tae out. There was a promise of making it up to Yoongi somewhere in there, but that's yet to come around again./p  
p class="MsoNormal"In fact there were a lot of promises that have spilled from Tae's lips in a hurried rush finished with a grin that Yoongi is still waiting to see fulfilled./p  
p class="MsoNormal"But he goes along with it, because he knows that Tae means well. He just needs a little push every now and then to keep him on the right track./p  
p class="MsoNormal"He's always been like this, since Yoongi met him in his second year, after his roommate moved out and left him with weekly rent he could no longer pay and an empty room. He'd scribbled out a quick flyer when he was drunk one night and stuck it onto the bulletin board in their cafeteria. With his hood pulled over his head he'd stumbled into a convenience store for ramen before collapsing in his bed./p  
p class="MsoNormal"He hadn't expected to wake up some hours later to pounding on his front door that unfortunately didn't go away once he'd shove his pillow over his head. With a reluctant sigh he'd heaved himself out of bed, straightened his twisted hoody and ran his hands through his hair./p  
p class="MsoNormal"He didn't care that he looked like shit; he just wanted the banging to stop./p  
p class="MsoNormal"He'd swung the door open; his eyes narrowed as he hoped his face looked annoyed enough that the person would take the hint and fuck off./p  
p class="MsoNormal""What?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal"The man standing in front of him grinned, shoving a piece of paper into Yoongi's face that took his eyes a full minute to adjust to as he stood there with his mouth open. When he finally realised what it was in front of him his eyes went wide. The man drew the flyer back, pulling his suitcase closer to his body./p  
p class="MsoNormal""I guess I'm your new roommate."/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Yoongi knew in that second that it was a bad idea to let him in, but his head was throbbing with a hangover and he was too dumbstruck that someone would even give the flyer a second glance to refuse. So he shut the door behind the guy and walked back into his room and fell unconscious onto his bed./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Yoongi was positive it was a bad idea when he woke up some time later that night to find the same guy sitting on the end of his bed. His back was leaning against the wall as he flicked casually through the notebook Yoongi always kept next to his laptop on his desk. His laptop that was always closed when he wasn't using but it was open to a half finished game of solitaire and covered in what looked suspiciously like Dorito crumbs./p  
p class="MsoNormal"He glanced over to the man who looked as if he was at home with his feet swinging off the side of the bed, his shirt pulled up just enough that Yoongi could see the tanned skin of his flat stomach./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Boundaries./p  
p class="MsoNormal"That was the first thing which would be set up. They need some serious boundaries./p  
p class="MsoNormal"The guy didn't even realise that Yoongi had woken up, so the death glare he was receiving went to waste. Instead Yoongi moved his feet away from him and kicked him straight off the end of the bed. The man fell to the floor in a show of flailing limbs, a surprised squeak leaving his throat as his butt hit the floor./p  
p class="MsoNormal""Hey!" He protested, not moving from his position, which Yoongi found almost laughable. The guy looked ridiculous./p  
p class="MsoNormal""What the fuck do you think you're doing?" He'd stood up as he asked, walking over to his desk and tried to brush the crumbs away, definitely Doritos, and shut his laptop/p  
p class="MsoNormal"The guy had stood up and Yoongi realised for the first time with a clearer mind just how tall the guy was. And good looking, but he wasn't going to dwell on that./p  
p class="MsoNormal"The guy scratched the back of his head looking at Yoongi with a confused expression. "I thought we were bonding?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Yoongi felt his eye twitch. "I was asleep and you were snooping."/p  
p class="MsoNormal""Like I said, bonding."/p  
p class="MsoNormal"He's way too hungover for this. "Who even are you?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal"There's that grin again. "Your new roommate."/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Yoongi feels stupider the longer he stands here doing this. "Name." He states, pinching the bridge of his nose, wishing the throbbing in his head to go away. "What is your name?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal"The guy stretches his hand out in front of him, his grin growing wider. "I'm Kim Taehyung."/p  
p class="MsoNormal""Great." Yoongi answered, turning away from him and walking out of his bedroom. He walks into the kitchen and begins making himself a coffee, sure that this is all just a weird dream he's having due to the gin he drank last night. He sits down; rubbing his temples with the tips of his fingers and wills himself to wake up. Any second now he'll wake up in his bed again but this time without some stranger treating the room like his own./p  
p class="MsoNormal"The kettle flicks off and his eyes shoot open staring right into dark brown eyes. He jumps back in surprise, almost taking the stool down with him before he rights himself./p  
p class="MsoNormal""What are you doing?" The guy, Taehyung, asks with a confused smile./p  
p class="MsoNormal""What are you doing!?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Taehyung pulls out the chair opposite him and sits down, placing his elbows on the benchtop and staring. "You seem troubled."/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Yoongi's eyes glare right into Taehyung's. Is this guy really this dense? "Really? Because I usually have random guys sitting on the end of my bed claiming to be my new roommate."/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Taehyung is silent for a second thinking over the reply, before a small smile makes its way onto his face and he points at Yoongi with a cocked eyebrow. "I'm going to guess that you're trying to joke."/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Yoongi just gave him a deadpan look that made the smile on the brunettes face grow./p  
p class="MsoNormal""We're going to get along just great."/p  
p class="MsoNormal"As much as Yoongi was enjoying the conversation he was way too tired to even try and comprehend what was going on. So he got up, and went back to bed. The previously boiled kettle left abandoned in its holder on the bench next to a grinning Taehyung who's positive the year is going to be fun./p  
p class="MsoNormal"strong /strong/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Not a lot changed from that night in the year that followed. Taehyung still didn't understand the meaning of personal space and Yoongi was just as irritable as ever. But those moments were far and few between as Taehyung was hardly ever home. At first it worried Yoongi, being the elder of the two he would sit up some nights and hope that Taehyung came home./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Yoongi was never sure why, it's not like him to care about people that much, especially ones that irritate him as Taehyung does. And the times when Taehyung actually did return at a barely reasonable hour, Yoongi would pass his being up as not being able to sleep./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Taehyung never questioned him./p  
p class="MsoNormal"But over the months Yoongi couldn't help but notice the glint in Tae's eyes that almost convinced him that he must know. That perhaps after everything he wasn't actually that oblivious. Because Yoongi doesn't think that it's that possible for someone to not notice anything./p  
p class="MsoNormal"And it's true that Tae wasn't oblivious. He'd noticed the lights still on in the apartment every time he stumbled home after a night of drinking with his friends that he never introduced Yoongi to because he didn't think he'd approve. He'd noticed the two coffee cups, instead of one, sitting on the benchtop every morning that he had a morning class. He'd noticed the way Yoongi looked at him for a second too long before the elder huffed as if he couldn't quite figure out why he was staring either. /p  
p class="MsoNormal"Tae could see everything, and while it was in his nature to call the person out, something about Yoongi stopped him every time. Because it seemed as if what they were dealing with was of something on a whole other level that Tae's never set foot in before./p  
p class="MsoNormal"To Tae, Yoongi is a roommate, and as much as he cared for him, he's a roommate, a friend, someone special to him./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Yoongi is someone that Tae idolises, and respects as a hyung./p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" "Taehyung!"/p  
p class="MsoNormal"The brunette's eyes open slowly as he stretched his exhausted body over the length of the couch./p  
p class="MsoNormal""What?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Yoongi stands at the fridge, the cool air sending a chill up his spine as he stares at his roommate, his eyes burning with fury./p  
p class="MsoNormal""How many times have I told you not to touch my shit?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal"Tae rubs at his eyes tiredly and shrugs, not positive on what Yoongi is referring to this time. The vein in Yoongi's forehead looks like it's about to burst as Tae tries to understand what he's talking about./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Yoongi notices his confusion and lifts his hand up, showing off an empty orange juice carton that Tae can vaguely remember chugging down when he got home last night, before the citrus made his stomach churn and he threw up in the sink. Dread suddenly washes over him as he tries to remember if he washed out the sink afterwards or not./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Yoongi only seems concerned over the lack of orange juice, so he assumes with a sigh of relief that he did./p  
p class="MsoNormal""Orange juice, Taehyung."/p  
p class="MsoNormal""I'll replace it today, I swear."/p  
p class="MsoNormal""That doesn't change the fact that I have none right now," Yoongi mumbles under his breath before placing the empty carton in the bin and walks back towards his room. He came out five minutes later to find tae still leaning over the back of the couch./p  
p class="MsoNormal""I'll be back late tonight, don't wait up."/p  
p class="MsoNormal"And then he was gone./p  
p class="MsoNormal"Tae moulds himself back into the couch and drifts to sleep./p 


	2. Chapter 2

"TAEHYUNG!" Yoongi sucks in another breath as his fist hits hard against the wall separating their rooms. "Turn that shit down!"

The incessant thumping that has been seeping through the walls of the apartment since eleven at night has caused a headache to form in the front of Yoongi's head. Usually he would put up with it, but then again Taehyung is usually hardly ever home and so Yoongi would be able to study in peace.

But tonight, the night before Yoongi's biggest exam of the year that he can't afford to fail, Taehyung decided to stay in. And unfortunately for him, Taehyung's version of a quiet night at home is to thump out music through his tiny speakers until Yoongi goes insane.

He looks down at his fist, now a shade of red and sighs in frustration. Yes he could go next door and yell at Tae some more, but what would that achieve? Tae would apologise and Yoongi would feel bad even though it's Tae's fault.

If there's one thing he can't stand is a guilty Taehyung.

So instead he shoves his head phones over his ears and sits himself back down in his chair, soon Tae will grow tired and the music will stop.

This thought kept Yoongi going until 3am when the pounding became too much. He would be grouchy at this time of morning at the best of times, but now Tae's crossed the line.

He shoves his chair back and stomps to his door, throwing it open and allowing the wood to slam against the wall. Tae will know he's mad. He pounds on the door next to his harshly, and waits. Can he not hear over the music? Pissed, Yoongi wrenches the door open, ready to tear Taehyung a new one when he notices the empty room. He blinks slowly; thinking that his lack of sleep is causing him to see things, because there is absolutely no way Taehyung would leave and not turn his music off.

Absolutely no fucking way.

In the minutes that Yoongi stands there blinking, Taehyung does not appear.

With a huff he storms into the room, pulls the damn plug of the speakers out of the wall and retreats back to his room where he takes one look at the pile of books on his desk compared to the comfy inviting bed and opts for the latter, no question.

As his heavy eyes begin to shut his mind is full of questions centring on why Tae went out without telling him, where he went and who he's with.

He's uncertain about a lot of things, but the one thing he's sure of is that tomorrow he's going to kill Taehyung.

~~.~~

"You failed?"

Yoongi stares at Taehyung's face as he speaks the words he never wanted to hear. He can't help but be mad at his roommate for his hand in his misfortune, but he can't blame it all on him either. After all he's the one that left it to the last minute to study. Still, he feels better blaming someone other than himself.

"Yes," He replies, with a soft voice staring down at his hands as if he's embarrassed.

"What happened?" Tae asks, moving closer in an effort to provide some sort of comfort. "I mean, wasn't this the test that you couldn't fail. That you had to pass in order to complete the year."

He shouldn't be mad, but the longer Tae sits here seemingly unaware that he did anything wrong drives him insane. He tries to contain himself, because there is no sense in yelling at Tae, because honestly it's just how he is, Yoongi knows this.

But still.

"You left."

Tae's brow furrows in confusion as he leans back slightly. "I left?"

He huffs already done with the conversation. He failed and there is no amount of talking that will ever be able to fix that. Still he has to answer him.

"I tried to study. But your music was turned up so damn loud and I couldn't concentrate. I went to tell you to turn it off but you weren't even here."

Tae's eyes widen as realisation hits him. He leans forward towards Yoongi again with an apology on his lips. "Oh shit. Yoongi I'm so sorry. Jungkook called me and I rushed out to meet him and I completely forgot. I meant to come back that night, but things happened."

When Yoongi just stares at him, having no words to respond with, Tae looks down with guilt sitting heavy in his stomach.

"I owe you, okay? I promise I'll make it up to you."

Yoongi nods, because it's not like he hasn't heard that before.

~~.~~

Yoongi makes it through the rest of the week in a disconnected state. He's tried to come to terms with the fact that he'll have to retake the whole unit, but he can't seem to quite grasp it yet.

The fact that he waited so long to go to Tae's room to stop the racket, no the fact that he left it so late to start studying in the first place, angers him. But it's much easier to be angry at someone else than himself.

He sighs as he taps his pen against his notepad, waiting for any inspiration that still has the desire to hit him. The creative part of his mind has been shut off since he got his failed test back, and he's not sure how to start it back up again.

He ends up shoving his notepad into this backpack and gets his headphones out; placing them over his ears he hopes that at least he might be able to drown everything out for a few hours. He sits watching as the sky turns into hues of pinks and purples before eventually shifting to black.

As the chill in the air seeps through his jacket he heaves himself up, beginning the short walk back to his apartment, unprepared for whatever may face him.

"Yoongi!" Tae shouts as soon as he hears the door handle rattle with the turn of a key. He jumps around the kitchen bench to meet him face to face with a huge grin. Yoongi looks up at him, his face showing no reaction to the noise.

"What?" He doesn't feel the least inclined to humour Taehyung tonight.

A mischievous glint shines in Tae's eyes and Yoongi is suddenly sick to his stomach worried about what it behind it. "I told you I'd make it up to you, remember?"

Yoongi does, but he nods reluctantly because he can't remember a time when Tae has actually come through on a promise, and that causes his nausea to sit heavy in his stomach.

"So…" Tae rounds the bench again and pulls something out from one of the bottom cabinets, Yoongi watches on wearingly. "I got you a bottle of vodka!"

The bottle hangs proudly from his hand like a trophy matching his triumphant grin.

Yoongi stares at him, trying to figure out just exactly what Tae is implying. Of course he already knows, it's not as if he's never done the same thing before when he's felt down over something. Yet he feels slightly disappointed that he was expecting a little bit more from Tae, but he knows that's his own fault.

So he smiles back, because he knows Tae means well, and grabs the bottle from his hand.

"You staying?" He asks, as a sort of challenge, to with Tae nods instantly. He knows he would never turn down a drink.

He's not at all surprised to see that Tae isn't holding back. The second Yoongi showed that he was interested in what Tae was offering to him, the younger had the bottle pressed against his lips, chugging the liquid as if it were water. Yoongi watches on impressed, almost as much as he's worried.

Were they not drinking because Yoongi is the one that needed to? Or perhaps is Taehyung's guilt driving him to do it.

Honestly Yoongi not entirely sure, because as much as he wishes he knew Tae, in reality he really doesn't.

So instead he grabs the bottle from his hands and takes a large drink from it, cringing as the liquor burns its way down his throat, to sit heavy in his stomach. This is exactly what he needed.

They end up on the couch, their legs tucked up under themselves as they pass the bottle, no reason for them to get glasses. It's only the two of them.

Yoongi watches as Tae's cheeks become flushed and he giggles every so often for no reason other than to laugh. Yoongi honestly thought he could hold his liquor better than this. Tae looks back at him and grins, a strange feeling sits in his stomach, he doesn't remember a time when the two of them have done something like this. And that has him feeling closer to Yoongi than he ever has before.

And then his eyes widen as he remembers why they're doing this in the first place and his guilt returns. He holds the bottle in his lap and stares at Yoongi with a serious expression.

"Yoongi."

Yoongi raises his eyebrow, waiting for Tae to continue. He looks embarrassed before he continues.

"I'm sorry about making you fail."

Yoongi's eyes widen in astonishment at the words, he'd never expected Tae to apologise to him to sincerely. He can't help but feel bad, because really it's not Tae's fault, Yoongi's the one who should have taken responsibility for his own education. And while it's a setback to fail the exam, it's not the end of the world.

"It's okay, Taehyung."

Tae lunges forward suddenly, causing Yoongi to lean back, unaware of what he's doing. The bottle leans dangerously before Tae rights his hands and holds it steady, staring Yoongi straight in the eyes.

"No it's not okay," He declares with a loud voice and Yoongi's not sure where this s heading. "I should have been more careful. I shouldn't have just rushed out to meet Jungkook and given no thought to my actions." He looks down as if embarrassed. "I should have thought of you, Yoongi."

Yoongi's breath catches in his throat and he hopes Tae didn't notice it. Because Tae is too close and Yoongi's sure that he has no idea about the affect he has on him. He knows he should be focusing on the fact that Tae feels guilty, but he's more interested in the name he mentioned instead.

With a steadying breath he asks. "Why have you never introduced me to your friends?"

Tae leans back slightly, confused by the question. "I-," He begins, scratching his head as he stales for time.

Yoongi thinks that he catches on. "Are you embarrassed of me?"

"What? Of course I'm not!"

"Then why?" He knows he sounds desperate, but the alcohol is causing his tongue to speak without his consent and he's come this far already, so there's really no sense in turning back. The least he can do is find out why.

Tae looks as if he's struggling to find the right words and Yoongi lets out a huff.

"I mean, are we really just roommates?"

The question confuses Tae. Because as innocent as it sounds, he feels as though the real meaning behind Yoongi's words is a lot heavier and he's not prepared to answer it.

"We're friends." He doesn't miss the way Yoongi's eyes darken. "But you're different to them. I can go out with them and have a great time because that is what they're into. And I can stay here with you, because that's what you prefer. I didn't think you'd be interested in meeting them."

"You're never here."

Tae is astonished by Yoongi's sulky tone. "What are you trying to say?"

Yoongi knows that this conversation has gotten way too risky, but his hazy mind compels him to carry on, because what does his drunken self-have to lose? Absolutely nothing.

His sober, right minded self however. Absolutely everything.

"I want you here with me."

"Yoongi, I am here with you."

"No, I-," Yoongi has never been good at expressing himself in these kinds of situations, even when drunk. So instead he takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. He leans forward just enough for his lips to press against Tae's even as everything inside of him screams not to.

He's surprised when Tae kisses him back for a second before pulling back abruptly as if Yoongi shocked him.

The bottle falls out of Tae's fingers and splashes over the floor, but neither of them realise. Both too shocked over what occurred to look away from each other. The unease in Yoongi's stomach threatens to swallow him whole if he doesn't get out of here. The look in Tae's eyes already tells him that he just made a huge mistake.

He pushes himself off the couch in a huff; just being near Tae is suffocating.

"Yoongi, I-,"

He doesn't stay to hear the words.


	3. Chapter 3

Tae pushes himself off the couch and runs to Yoongi.

"Yoongi, wait!"

The elder acts as though he doesn't hear him as he opens his bedroom door. There is no way he can talk to Tae right now. No way that he can face what he just did. His embarrassment is too much. And it's not like he doesn't already know that Tae doesn't see him that way, but to have him actually say the words would split Yoongi in two.

Tae reaches out to him, his fingers wrapping around Yoongi's shoulder in an effort to get him to stay. Yoongi flinches away, reluctantly turning around to see the hurt look on Tae's face. He hates how much that face affects him, hates that he's the one that put it there, but he's hurting and so everyone around him can hurt to.

"Don't touch me!" He spits.

"Yoongi," Tae says his name in such a disappointed tone that Yoongi almost cracks. Almost. "Please just let me explain."

Yoongi's eyes are hard as he stares at his roommate. He made the biggest mistake he could, drunk or not and he just wants to get out of here. "You don't need to explain anything to me, Taehyung. I get it."

Tae sees the way Yoongi breathes deeply as if trying to keep himself from falling apart. He knows he should have put a stop to this sooner, but the effect of the alcohol had him feeling daring until he remembered someone else who would not take too kindly to knowing he'd kissed another person. But Yoongi is his roommate and his friend and he needs to make this right.

"Yoongi, I'm so sorry, but I don't -,"

"Save it." Yoongi snaps, cutting him off. Hearing those words would cause the weakening band inside him holding everything together to break. "I don't want to hear it."

He turns away and walks into his room, slamming the door in Tae's face as his own heart is fills with regret.

Yoongi falls straight down onto his bed, not even bothering to pull the covers away as he curls in on himself and tries to get his breathing under control. He knew that nothing good would ever come of telling Tae his feelings, but like the idiot he is he went and did it anyway. Because Yoongi and alcohol do not mix and he should know that by now, yet every time he finds himself surprised.

He can't even blame Tae for his actions in not stopping him to begin with, because he knows that's just how the younger is. He's never thought about the consequences his actions will have and that is something that Yoongi has always envied him for. Yet there is a part of him that regrets his own drunken actions the night Tae moved in, because ever since then he's been plagued with worry and unease, whether it was concern over where Tae spent his nights or nervousness that one day he might just slip up and reveal to the younger everything he was feeling.

That night was tonight.

And there is no way to go back.

He silently curses the universe for his bad luck as he pulls his pillow over his head and tries to drown out the laughter that seems to be coming from every corner of the room. He can still hear the shuffling of feet that sounds similar to pacing outside his bedroom door. He'll let Tae in soon, just not yet. He can't stand to see his face.

Can't stand to see the rejection written across it.

He stays, feeling sorry for himself until his eyes begin to grow heavy. He reluctantly lifts himself up and walks to his door, figuring now he should talk to Tae, knows that it was him who over reacted. With a deep breath he opens his door, surprised when he's not immediately met with Tae's face like he had been expecting.

His eyebrows furrow as he tries to make sense of the situation. The apartment he notices is unnaturally quiet; though perhaps Tae's gone to bed. It is the early hours of the morning, before the suns begun to peek over the horizon, so the thought doesn't sound too improbable. He walks lightly over to Tae's room and knocks hesitantly on the door. The nausea in his stomach pleads with him to turn around, but he has to do this. There's no way they could keep on living together if the situation went unspoken.

He shifts from foot to foot as he waits for the door to be answered, but he remains disappointed. Annoyed he pushes the door open, past caring if Tae will get mad at him for doing so. Not that he has to worry about that, because the moment he opens it he knows he's going to be met with an empty room. Still he looks over the unmade bed and the cluttered desk that show so many signs of living, but no life.

He sighs, knowing that he shouldn't let Tae's absence get him down so much, but he has no way of helping it. Sure he hated the fact that he needed to talk to Tae, but he would prefer the younger to be here to work things through with, as opposed to him completely bolting. The whole situation has Yoongi feeling disheartened, and angry.

Because how could Tae do this?

How could he just walk out on him like this, when nothing is resolved?

He supposes it's probably his fault for one, causing the whole situation in the first place, and two, not allowing Tae to explain immediately.

Still it's easier to shift the blame to someone else.

He contemplates calling Tae, but figures it's probably better to leave it for the night. He walks back into his own room and curls up in his bed. They'll be able to talk about it when Tae gets back.

~~.~~

"Jungkook," Tae breathes as the dark haired man opens the door.

"Tae?" He asks, rubbing his eyes as he tries to figure out why he's at his apartment so early without so much as a call.

"I think I fucked up," He continues, moving towards Jungkook, who opens his arms instinctively and wraps them around Tae as he falls against him. He sighs, smelling the alcohol on his breath, they've been here before.

He ushers Tae into the room, closing the door behind them as he follows close behind to his bedroom. Tae flops down onto the crumpled sheets immediately, his head falling into his hands. Jungkook watches curiously from the doorway, unsure exactly how to comfort him.

"So," He begins, attempting to ease into the conversation. "What's going on?"

Tae stares up at him, his hair standing in all directions from his hands running through it. Jungkook has never seen him so lost and that has him sitting on the end of the bed attempting to comfort him.

"Yoongi, he,-"

He cuts himself off, almost as if he can't believe it. But Jungkook knows better. He knows how much Yoongi likes Tae, and that's saying a lot seeing as Jungkook has never actually met him. But during the many conversations he has had with Tae, with him gushing over how nice Yoongi is and how he's one of the only ones who lets him get away with half the shit he does, Jungkook could tell. That there was something else there that was driving Yoongi to be so selfless.

Because Jungkook has heard things about Yoongi through the gossip vine of the school and he knows that Yoongi is not so selfless and soft hearted to just any old person. In fact, Jungkook doesn't think he's ever heard of Yoongi treating anyone like he treats Tae. And sure people could say that it's because they're roommates and that's how you treat each other, but Jungkook knows different. Because he rooms with Hoseok and they sure as hell don't treat each other like that.

No there is definitely some other motive behind Yoongi's actions.

"He finally told you?" He asks, knowing that Tae is having a hard time getting the world to make sense right now.

Tae looks at him with wide disbelieving eyes and an open mouth. "Y-You know?"

Jungkook rolls his eyes, because how could be not? "You know yourself."

Tae looks down almost as if he's hurt, his eyes casting down to look at his knees. "I know and I let him do it."

Jungkook is a little taken aback by that, but he knows he can't be angry at him, because that's just how Tae is. He doesn't think. He's too quick on his feet and too fleeting with his feelings. Jungkook knows he should be scared of this, but honestly it's one of the reasons why he stuck with Tae for so long. His personality is unique.

"You have to talk to him."

Tae's always seen Jungkook as the voice of reason. Even with him being the youngest in the group he's always had a clearer head on his shoulders than their other friends have. And while he can be reckless and childish most of the time, they all count on him to pull them up when things get a little too out of control.

"I know," Tae whispers, because of course Jungkook is right.

"What did he say when you left?" Jungkook's question catches him off guard and he flinches as if he's been slapped. Because he doesn't know, he just walked out. He cared more about getting to Jungkook and feeling better himself than facing Yoongi and helping him through this. But Yoongi shut the door between them, so it was really him who caused this, right?

"I don't know," He admits, feeling ashamed with himself.

Jungkook raises an eyebrow, confused. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know what he said, because I just left!" He yells, his guilt giving way to anger the longer he thinks about what he did to Yoongi.

"Tae-," Jungkook begins when he's cut off.

"I don't know what he said because I tried to talk to him, but he slammed the door in my face. I didn't stay!" Tae's eyes brim with tears as he stares at Jungkook with hard eyes. "I came here to see you because I felt terrible about what I did."

"Taehyung..." Jungkook says softly.

Tae's eyes soften. "I didn't want you to be mad at me."

Jungkook immediately moves closer and wraps Taehyung up in his arms. Tae reacts instantly wrapping his arms around the younger, thankful that he has such an understanding heart.

"You were both drunk and I know about his feelings for you, so really if it's anyone's fault it's mine because I should have kept you closer to my side."

Tae laughs softly; glad at least this side of the situation doesn't have any complications.

"But if he ever tries something like that on my boyfriend behind my back again, I'll kill him."

Tae stiffens; he's really going to have to talk to Yoongi.


	4. Chapter 4

**'It's as if the whole universe knows that his heart was crushed with the promise of 'I owe you' and has decided to weep for him'**

 **~~.~~**

Tae tip toes through his apartment like a burglar who knows it's only a matter of time before he gets caught.

He'd left Jungkook's just after the sun began to rise, and the walk back to his own apartment felt long and tiresome and all he can think about is putting his head down on a pillow.

But he needs to make it there first.

And he's sure that Yoongi is in bed fast asleep, but what if he's not? What if he's standing around a corner somewhere just waiting for him to walk past so he can yell at him? Tae admits that is highly unlikely, it's not something the elder would do, but what if?

What if things can't go back?

He likes this apartment and he likes living with Yoongi. But if things can't be resolved then he doesn't know what he will do. Sure he's bound to have another friend that he could move in with, Jimin would probably be down for the idea as long as Tae would give him pointers on his dance, but Jimin is not Yoongi.

No one is.

He just wants things to be okay.

He lets out a sigh of relief when he makes it to his bedroom without any sign of Yoongi. He shuts the door gently behind him and collapses onto his bed feeling emotionally drained from the night's events. He allows his eyes to drift shut, already dreading having to be up in a matter of hours. He hugs himself closer into his pillows and wishes for tomorrow to be a better day.

Yoongi listens from where he sits in the middle of his bed to the sounds echoing throughout the apartment in the early hours of the morning. He knows Tae's home, because nobody else has a key, not even Namjoon, though he has begged for one since Yoongi first moved in.

He knows when he hears a muffled sigh and the sound of a door clicking gently shut that Tae has made it to his room and it sounds like to his relief. Yoongi's not sure how to feel about that. He wonders where Tae went, though he knows that he has many friends, so it wouldn't be a stretch to assume that he went to one of them to talk about what an idiot Yoongi is.

He scoffs quietly to himself. He should confront Tae now, make him answer for his actions, but he knows that that is easily turned around on him. So he sits, his blanket pooled around his waist, for the sun to rise high enough that it's acceptable for him to be out on the streets.

There's no way he's getting another minute of sleep.

There's an eerie feeling that has settled it's self over the apartment as he makes himself his usual coffee and toast. His hand hesitates over a second mug before deciding to leave it in its place in the cupboard, realising that there's no need for him to make Tae a coffee anymore.

There was no real reason to in the first place, it was always half subconsciously done, and when he realised he was doing it, it was already too late to stop.

No need for him to do anything but pretend that he's okay being just his friend.

He's chewing his first bite of toast when the sound of a door opening echoes through the apartment. He stiffens and immediately curses himself for not acting like himself. He doesn't look up as the footsteps grow louder the closer Tae gets to the kitchen.

"Morning, Yoongi," He speaks softly, which has Yoongi furrowing his eyebrows, has his secret really come as that much of a shock to him?

"I'm not going to break," He spits glaring. Tae is certainly taken aback by Yoongi's tone, opting to make himself a coffee to distract himself from the gaze that's set upon him, unblinking.

"I was just saying good morning," He shrugs before moving to the fridge.

The silence settles around them as neither makes an attempt to speak. But Yoongi can't live like this, and Tae might be the sort of person who can just go on living and pretend that nothing happened, but that's not Yoongi. He needs to talk it through, because if they don't the only other alternative he can see is telling Tae to move out, and he can't do that.

"Where did you go last night?" He asks, with a hint of reluctance.

Tae turns around to look at him; he hesitates wondering if it's actually a good idea to tell him. But there's no sense in keeping anything from him, he's sure Yoongi's trying to make as much sense of the situation as he is.

"I went to Jungkook's."

The name sounds foreign to Yoongi, must be one of those friends that Tae didn't feel it necessary to introduce him to.

Tae doesn't offer any insight into who Jungkook is and Yoongi gets mad. Because does he have to practically wring information out of Taehyung to get anywhere? Why can't the guy just be straight with him? Why can't he just throw Yoongi a goddamn bone every once in a while?

"Who is he?" Yoongi hates himself for asking as soon as the words leave his mouth. His anger gets the best of him and he watches as Tae's eyes widen in shock before he glares at Yoongi, his own anger showing clearly on his face.

"That's none of your business!" He says sternly, very unlike the Tae he knows.

Anger. This is exactly what Yoongi can deal with.

"None of my business?" He asks, with a shake of his head. "How long have we known each other, Taehyung? How long have I looked after you because you're too damn stupid to look after yourself?"

"I never asked you to look after me, Yoongi!" Tae's breathing is heavy as he matches Yoongi's anger word for word. "You did that for yourself, with whatever thoughts you had in your head about the two of us."

Those words hit Yoongi like a slap to the face and he stares wide eyed at Tae, unable to form words. He looks down; knowing that he's the one who caused this, feeling guilty for yelling at him when all he really wanted to do was talk.

"I'm sorry." He whispers, stumbling out of his seat towards the door. He gets there throwing it open and slamming it shut to the sound of Taehyung shouting behind him.

"No, Yoongi wait!"

He runs down the corridor cursing himself without looking back.

~~.~~

"What?" He snaps into the phone, only to be met with laughter at the other end.

"Good morning to you too, Sunshine," Namjoon chuckles.

"What do you want?" He snaps again, his early anger at Taehyung resurfacing towards his best friend.

Namjoon's chuckle dies down gradually, having grown accustomed to Yoongi's temper over the years. "I'm bored, let's meet up."

Yoongi sighs, running his hand through his hair as he looks down the street, weighing up his options. "I'm busy." He ends up mumbling, hoping it will be enough to get his friend off his back.

"Doing what?"

Yoongi curses him for asking, hesitating a second too long, causing Namjoon to laugh again.

"Meet me at the café on third, I'll be there soon." Before he hangs up, leaving Yoongi to curse at his phone.

He shuffles down the street, kicking at loose stones as he grumbles to himself. Sure if he really didn't want to go he wouldn't, but damn Namjoon for somehow always hitting the soft spot that Yoongi tries to stuff deep down within himself.

He makes it to the café, wrenching open the front door when it sticks on something that over all the years he's been coming here he hasn't been able to quite figure out what. He looks around the space that's half full with people and sighs when there's no sign of Namjoon.

Of course he's late. He always is.

Instead he walks over to the display cabinets looking for something to eat as he ran out on breakfast and his stomach rumbles looking over the array of sweets on display. He settles on a custard donut that there is no way he's going to pass up.

He steps in front of the register, telling the girl there that he'll have a large long black as he reaches into his back pocket for his wallet, only to find it empty. He pats his front pockets in desperation only to be met with nothing again. With annoyance he grumbles to the person behind him to go in front while he looks.

The boy behind him smiles wide.

"Thank you."

He shrugs; knowing there isn't much he can do until Namjoon shows up and pays for him. He stands at the back of the line by the window looking out the smudged glass for his friend. He spots him crossing the road in front of the café and sighs in relief as his stomach protests against the lack of food. He steps forward to alert Namjoon of his presence when the boy from earlier steps in front of him, a cardboard box in his hands. Yoongi stares, noticing that the boy is looking right at him as if waiting for Yoongi to say something.

"Did you want something?"

The boy shakes his head, causing his red hair to fall into his eyes. "I just wanted to say thanks for letting me in. My friends would kill me if I didn't get these for them." He raises the box so Yoongi knows what he's talking about.

"It's fine." He says bluntly, looking over the boys shoulder at Namjoon who's giving the pair a weird look.

The boy looks amused at his response, smiling slightly to himself as if he knows something that Yoongi doesn't. "Anyway, thanks. See you around." He says, before he's out the door.

Yoongi watches after him, unsure what to make of him when Namjoon taps him on the shoulder.

"What was that about?"

Yoongi looks at him with a raised eyebrow, acting as though he doesn't know what Namjoon is referring to. "I dunno. Anyway you're late and you owe me food."

He pushes Namjoon towards the counter eager to order. The younger chuckles at Yoongi's actions, but goes along with it nonetheless, smiling at the girl behind the register.

"Alright, what do you want?"

Yoongi points at the display cabinet in triumph. "I want the…"

He trails off as his eyes focus on the sweets; sure he's seeing it wrong.

"You'll have the what?" Namjoon asks, trying to hurry him up.

The finger Yoongi has pointed at the sweets begins to falter. "The-,"

"The what? Namjoon asks, annoyed now.

Yoongi blinks, trying to make the donuts reappear in front of him. This is a cruel joke.

"That guy brought all the donuts!" He yells, starling Namjoon who takes a step back in surprise.

"What?"

Yoongi thrusts his hands up in the air. "The guy with the stupid red hair that I let go in front of me because I left my wallet behind. And you were late." He glares at Namjoon, as if it was his fault.

"Just get something else," Namjoon replies, as if it were as easy as that.

Yoongi grumbles out a, "I don't want anything else." Before he gives Namjoon his coffee order and goes and sits down at one of the tables to wait.

Namjoon walks over a few minutes later with their coffees and two slices of chocolate cake. Yoongi glares at the slice in front of him as if it had offended him in some way. Namjoon laughs, amused at the scowl on his face.

That's the last time Yoongi is letting anyone go in front of him, wallet or not.

~~.~~

He leaves Namjoon and the café a few hours later with the excuse of assignments falling from his lips that he's sure Namjoon doesn't believe for a second, but he finds himself not caring either way.

He thinks about going back home, but the thought of Tae being there when he returns causes his stomach to churn with unease. Though if he was to return and Tae was nowhere to be found, Yoongi would assume he'd gone to Jungkook, he's not sure if he'd feel worse knowing that.

So instead he walks the streets of the city lined with small pop up stores on either side, his eyes cast up towards the grey sky that threatens to rain any second. He couldn't find a more fitting day for his mood, it's as if the whole universe knows that his heart was crushed with the promise of 'I owe you' and has decided to weep for him.

And it's not even the fact that he was rejected that disrupts his mood. Not really. It's more the fact that Yoongi himself was never one hundred percent sure of Taehyungs preference when it came to partners, and it only hurt him more when he found out that of course Taehyung likes guys, he just doesn't want him.

Maybe Taehyung actually does like him, it's just the fact that Jungkook got there first.

He shakes his head at the ridiculous thought that's only there to help him rationalise the situation, and continues down the street, not realising he'd taken a turn back towards their apartment.

Taehyung is sitting on the couch with his laptop balanced on his knees when Yoongi returns. He looks up when the door opens, only to look back at his screen when he realises its Yoongi. Yoongi can't help the hurt that he feels at that, but I truth he only has himself to blame.

He walks over slowly, seating himself on the end of the couch and stares at his hands. Never has Min Yoongi felt so unsure of himself, even when his parents refused to acknowledge his dream of pursuing music, he pushed forward. Even when everybody told him he can't, he did everything in his power to prove them wrong. But now sitting in front of Taehyung knowing that he needs to apologise has him doubting everything he knows about himself. Taehyung does not look up, but Yoongi assumes the younger is only pretending to be busy on his laptop in an effort to force him to speak first.

Yoongi clears his throat, looking up. Tae's hands stop, hovering over the keyboard, but he does not look up. "I'm sorry."

Tae's eyebrows crease together in confusion as he stares at his hands. "Why are you apologising?"

Yoongi laughs, hard and unamused. "I acted like a dick, not a friend. Would you prefer we kept on avoiding each other?"

Tae looks at him then a small smile on his face though his eyes remain cautious. "Well no, but I-,"

He cuts himself off with a shake of his head.

Yoongi unconsciously inches forward, eager to know what he was going to say. He arches his eyebrow, urging Tae to continue. The younger sighs, looking him in the eyes.

"-But what do you want, Yoongi?"

Yoongi looks down, avoiding his eyes as he thinks. Honestly he was hoping that Tae wouldn't ask him, but is he actually sure himself? Would he have actually confessed or even done anything for that matter about his feelings if the two had not gotten drunk because he failed his exam? He thinks he could have gone on just pretending like he didn't care either way, shoving his feelings into a box and slamming the lid. But the alcohol and the vulnerability of not knowing where his course was going had him feeling bold and that led them both here.

"I don't know," He mutters, more to himself. He hates that he's acting like this, but the way Tae is looking at him with what he can only describe as pity, has him feeling small.

"You don't know?" Tae's tone is surprised as he stares at Yoongi.

He shakes his head.

"Well I do," Tae continues his eyes filled with determination. "I don't want anything to change between us. We're friends first and roommates second." He grins then, his eyes crinkling at the sides.

Yoongi just stares; he refuses to let Tae know how much those words hurt him. Because he is Min Yoongi and letting others know of his deepest feelings is not something that he does. So he does what he does best and gets up, ending the conversation and walking to the kitchen; his stomach grumbling at the thought of food, the cake he had earlier no longer sating him.

He opens the fridge his eyes zeroing in on a plate with a half-eaten pastry. Curious he picks it up, inspecting the treat as if it looked familiar. And in fact it did, because he'd seen the same donut in the café this morning, watched as it was snatched out from under his nose.

He turns to Tae again, the plate still in his hands. "Where did you get this?"

Tae looks from his face to the donut with slight confusion before answering. "Oh, Jiminie brought us those."

Jimine? What kind of name is that? He nods instead of answering, of course the smiling boy would be one of Tae's friends and of course Yoongi would run into him. That's just how the world works.

"Why?" Tae asks, curiously.

Yoongi shakes his head. "No, it's nothing." He doesn't need to know that he met the boy earlier today after he stormed out of here.

He turns away placing the plate back in the fridge. He's unsure as to whether things are really settled between them, but at least he knows that they aren't fighting, and walks to his room. He closes the door with a click his feet walking towards his desk without him telling them to, and places his headphones over his ears, his fingers holding a pen over his notebook.

And though he knows Tae means well he can't help but get stuck on his words.

 _'I don't want anything to change between us.'_

Yoongi's not sure if he can live with that anymore.


	5. Chapter 5

"What are you even talking about, Jiminie?"

Yoongi rolls over onto his other side; tiny stings shooting over his body as pins and needles greets him.

"What?" There's a pause as Taehyung's laughs sings its way through his closed door. "Did he know who you were?"

Yoongi pulls his pillow over his head, trying to stop the racket from reaching him. It's too early for that loud voice to sound so cheerful.

"No, I didn't tell him." He laughs again, and Yoongi presses the pillow down harder against his head. "Because, isn't it more fun this way?"

What the hell is Tae even talking about?"

There's a crashing of plates banging together as he imagines Tae riffling through the cupboards. The crackle of a speaker follows, a voice shining through that he just manages to decipher.

"What if he doesn't even like me? How are you so confident?"

Yoongi's sure he's heard that voice before, but through the wall and the crackle of the speaker he can't put his finger on where. He sighs, pushing the thought from his mind and glancing over to his clock, surprised when the green numbers display 9:16am, guess it's not as early as he had expected.

He throws his covers off, his bare feet hitting the wooden floor of his bedroom with a thud. He's thankful for the heating in the apartment otherwise the coolness of the wood leeching into his skin would cause him to crawl back into bed. He rubs his eyes tiredly, getting up with a yawn and walking to the door.

"It will work, trust me. And when it does you owe me big time, Jiminie."

He can imagine the grin on Tae's face as he says the words and finds himself smiling at the thought. Realising it he slaps his face lightly, there's no point in him thinking like that, not now. So with a sigh he turns the doorknob and walks into the kitchen, following the sound of laughter once again.

"It'll be fine." He finds Tae seated at the kitchen bench with a bowl in front of him and his phone tucked under his ear. He hears the muffled voice of the person on the other end, now taken off speaker, but cannot make out what they're saying. Tae nods along slowly, Yoongi thinks how stupid the action is when it's obvious the person on the other end can't see.

Tae looks up them, catching his eyes and he averts his to the ground, walking around him to the fridge.

"Yeah, great. Okay, I promise." He looks up at Yoongi once again as he continues. "Yeah, I'll make sure. Bye Jiminie." He hangs up with a grin, immediately lifting his spoon to his mouth.

Yoongi raises his eyebrow as he sets about getting himself a coffee, his day starting too early though he's already missed his morning class.

"Did I wake you?" Tae asks around a mouthful of food, his eyes glistening with mischief that Yoongi has no desire to delve into.

He hums in response, making his way to the couch to watch the news, eager to find out if the grey clouds that have been hanging around all week have finally decided to leave. It's been just under a week since he told Tae of his feelings and he's only just finding it bearable to be in the same room as him. He doubts Tae notices anything of the sort, choosing to take Yoongi at his small smile and indifferent attitude, which the elder is thankful for.

It's too soon for anything else.

He feels a presence to his right as Tae joins him on the other end of the couch, sitting down uncaring if he jostles Yoongi. Same as always. As if nothing has changed between them. But Tae might act as though everything is the same, and Yoongi might go along with it. But he's sure that they both know that something is different. That something has changed.

And by something he means everything.

He keeps his eyes trained on the tv in an effort to ignore Tae for as long as possible, the younger sitting there staring at him as if he has something to say. Yoongi doesn't care enough to ask him to speak, so he leaves it up to Tae who looks like he's about to burst any second anyway.

"So…" He begins prompting Yoongi to glance at him from the corner of his eye.

"So…" He repeats, trying to prompt Tae to get on with it so he will leave him alone. He's put off by the fact that Tae suddenly looks uncomfortable; he's unsure how he should react as he's never seen him like that before.

"You got any plans tonight?"

Yoongi makes a show of thinking for a few seconds before he looks back at him with a bored expression. "That depends. Why are you asking?"

"I'm meeting some friends at the club on fifth if you want to come."

Yoongi could think of nothing better than downing a few shots right now, but the fact that Tae is finally asking him to meet his friends feels wrong. "What?" Is the only word he can get to leave his mouth.

"Come on, it'll be fun. You know how I still owe you for covering me in class that one time." There was more than one time. "Well I think I've finally come up with a way to repay you."

The grin stretched across Tae's face is off putting and Yoongi doesn't know whether he should be more thankful or scared that the younger is finally coming through on at least one of his ownings. The whole situation feels wrong as he tries to mumble out an excuse to get out of it.

Tae is having none of it as he puts his hand in the air, palm facing Yoongi and effectively silencing him.

"You're going and you will have a good time."

Tae stands up then ending the conversation as Yoongi sits flabbergasted staring at the space next to him that is now empty.

He still doesn't know how Tae managed to get him out of the apartment and into the packed nightclub, but he hates himself for allowing the guy to have so much influence over him. Namjoon nudges his side, asking if he wants to go to the bar. He nods, following behind his taller friend through the crowd of people. Perhaps Namjoon is the only reason he's standing here, Tae said afterwards that he could bring a friend of his own if he thought it would be uncomfortable. Yoongi didn't think that it would be, he's known Tae for long enough and his friends shouldn't be that hard to deal with. But it's always good to have a backup in case he needs to leave without questions.

Namjoon's always been good for that.

He glances through the crowd, spotting Tae sitting at a booth a few meters away that looks like an ocean with all the people between them. He's talking to some guy with tan skin and black hair, Yoongi feels as though he's seen him somewhere, but shakes his head figuring he's in one of his classes that he hardly turns up for. There are two others that he can't make out from the distance and push out of his mind, he assumes their just Tae's friends that he wants Yoongi to meet.

Namjoon taps him on the shoulder as he hands him his drink. He takes a sip immediately having always found a weird kind of comfort with alcohol.

"So, who are we meeting?" He asks looking around the room.

He doesn't answer, instead walking over to the booth expecting Namjoon to follow him.

He approaches the table, drink already three quarters gone as four sets of eyes turn to look at him. He ignores three only having his own eyes for one. Tae stares at him obviously already drunk if the slight dusting of prink across his cheekbones in anything to go by. He gets up pulling Yoongi into a hug that immediately has the elder tensing. He gently eases Tae off him, telling him he'll spill his drink though both glasses are empty.

"You actually came," Tae says lowly, his voice deep and eyes glazed as he looks at him with a grin.

Yoongi shrugs. "I had no better offers tonight."

Tae's grin remains in place, Yoongi figures he has no idea what he's even saying to him. He manages to get Tae to sit again before sitting down beside him and watching Namjoon seat himself next to the guy with light brown hair. They smile and introduce themselves to each other but Yoongi isn't paying attention. He feels someone watching him and shifts his gaze to the last guy sitting at the table. A flash of red is all he can see for a second before he gets the feeling that he's seen him before, but much like the one of the other side of Tae he can't put his finger on where.

The red head gives him a small smile before staring into the drink in his hand, rolling it back and forth between his palms. Yoongi looks at his own drink before remembering it was empty and gets up to grab another.

He watches the table from the bar as he downs his shots. He's certain that the one sitting with Tae is Jungkook, if the hands gliding all over each other are anything to go by. He tries not to let it bother him. He's been doing such a good job at remaining neutral around Tae since the incident, and the younger has done well to not bring it up again. But it seems that the alcohol in his system has made everything else a little, uncontrolled. He thinks about asking Namjoon to come up with an excuse so they can both leave, but he finds his friend deeply engrossed in something that the brunette is telling him and figures it would be rude if he took him away.

With a sigh he downs another shot and picks his full glass up and heads back to the table. Tae stares up at him as if he were a friend that he hadn't seen for years and engulfs him in another hug that is too fleeting for Yoongi's liking. He catches the eye of Jungkook over Tae's shoulder who is watching the exchange silently with a small smile on his lips. Tae pulls Yoongi back down into the booth causing his drink to spill all over his hand.

"Sorry," Tae sings cheerfully but does nothing to aid in the clean-up.

Yoongi sits awkwardly on the end of the booth too close to Tae for his liking knowing that neither of them have the best control when they're drunk. They learned that the hard way.

None of them really say anything as the alcohol does its best to kick start them. Namjoon and the other guy who Yoongi still doesn't have a name for are the only ones talking and the only ones who seem to feel comfortable in the situation. The red head continues to stare into his drink as if he were trying to will himself to disappear. Even Jungkook and Tae who Yoongi is positive are dating seem to be acting strange.

Eventually Tae begins talking, nothing of importance from what Yoongi can gather as he looks off into the bodies at the bar pretending to listen. Jungkook seems more engrossed in the boys ramblings than anyone but Yoongi's sure it's just so he can get brownie points.

"Shit!" Taehyung suddenly announces, startling Yoongi enough to get him to turn back and look at him. "I haven't even introduced any of you yet."

Yoongi rolls his eyes, if he's only just realising now the boy's more stupid than he originally thought.

The red head gets up suddenly, mumbling about needing to use the rest room before he's through the bodies and out of sight. Yoongi thinks about how strange the action was, but does not dwell on it. Maybe the guys just weird or awkward in these kinds of situations. Tae's eyes follow him before he shakes his head with a small smile and turns to Yoongi.

"Yoongi, Jungkook."

He turns to Jungkook, Yoongi nods his head glad he was right.

"Jungkook, Yoongi."

Tae's grin is so wide Yoongi is convinced his cheeks will split at any second. How he's finding himself to be comfortable in this situation Yoongi will never know.

Jungkook stares at him with a hard glare that Yoongi's sure would have anybody else shrinking back, but not him. Yoongi is quite accustomed to giving and receiving the same glare. So he glares back watching how a smile slowly makes its way onto Jungkook's lips.

"So you're the guy that tried to steal Taehyung away from me, huh?" He says with the same small smile and hard eyes as he looks Yoongi up and down.

Yoongi stares at him, fighting to keep his face neutral, knows that the slightest reaction will give him away. Because as innocent as the words are anyone could make out the underlying claim being staked on Tae.

Tae laughs, slapping Jungkook's chest in a playful manner. "Don't be stupid, Kookie. No one's trying to steal me away from you."

Either Tae missed the way Jungkook was looking at Yoongi or he was just trying to diffuse the situation, Yoongi didn't know. But he was thankful for it. Yet he remains silent his eyes shifting to the side as the red head sits back down in his seat, he stares at the three of them obviously sensing the change in atmosphere. He lifts his eyebrow and Yoongi stands up, walking back towards the bar as Tae yells at him to sit back down. He will, just not until he's had a few more drinks.

He leans against the bar, thinking about Jungkook's words. He hates it but the guy isn't wrong. In a way Yoongi did try and steal Tae away from him, but it's not as if he knew that his roommate was taken. He never even meant to act on his feelings, but the alcohol in his system had him feeling daring.

 _If he closes his eyes he can still taste Taehyung on his tongue._

He watches as they laugh at something the red head said and Yoongi is still annoyed that he doesn't have a name. He's never really liked the colour red and the fact that he can't think of anything else to call the guy irritates him. Almost as much as his shyness does.

He sees the way that Jungkook has his arm slung over Tae's shoulders and the way they lean in towards each other. He knows that Tae is the touchy feely type, while he himself is not. And the thought of acting so affectionate in public would irk at him. There is no way he would be able to do that.

And that thought makes him realise that from this distance Jungkook and Tae look so much more suited to each other than Tae and himself will ever be. Still he can't help the stabbing in his heart the longer he looks at them together.

 _He takes another shot._


	6. Chapter 6

Yoongi will never get used to the fog that hangs over his mind after he's had a few too many glasses of alcohol.

He'd like to say he knows when it's the optimum time to stop before his tongue becomes loose and his eyes blurred. He'd be the first one to say so to. But as life would have it he knows no such time and always ends up drinking just that little bit too much.

So he sways slightly in his seat as he stares at Jungkook and Tae doing couple things right next to him with a sour expression.

Truth be told he thought he'd had enough to drink at the bar before coming back, but now sitting here so close to them he's positive that a few more shots wouldn't have hurt. He'd made a point to take Namjoon away from his new found friend and make him sit beside him. He supposes it's selfish of him, for he has nothing to say to his friend, only wants him there as a safety of sorts to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid in from of the others. Namjoon himself doesn't seem too interested in talking to him and in turn looks off into the distance as if deep in thought.

Yoongi sighs, staring across the table at the red head who's staring down at his glass, paying the rest of them no mind. He wishes the guy would smile; he'd probably look beautiful smiling. He shakes his head immediately, why would he think such a thought? He's caught in his own little daydream when Tae leans over; almost too close for the company they were in.

"You know Jiminie thinks you're pretty cute," He whispers to him, and Yoongi can smell the alcohol on his breath, can feel the heat of it as it ghosts across his face. It wouldn't take much effort to pull Tae towards him and smash their lips together.

It wouldn't take much at all.

But at a glance Yoongi can see the way Tae's fingers are entwined with Jungkook's and he almost feels guilty for thinking anything at all.

Almost.

Because the way he sees it, he had Taehyung first and as selfish as that might sound he doesn't care. Because he wasn't the one who asked for Tae to show up on his doorstep proclaiming to be his new roommate and he's not the one that asked to fall in love with the scatterbrained man, but here he is. And if he can blame someone for being the reason as to way Tae doesn't want to be with him then he'll blame everything on them with no hesitation.

Because how can the world be so damn cruel that he has to see his face every day and know that he will never be his?

And Yoongi's sure that deep down Jungkook is actually a good guy. He can see the way people gravitate towards him and the genuine smiles they done on their faces just being around him. But he stole something precious from Yoongi and that is not something that can be easily forgiven.

"Hey!"

Yoongi shakes his head and looks to Taehyung, who's sitting there with a pout that Yoongi unfortunately finds ridiculously cute.

"What?" He asks, expression confused.

Tae huffs annoyed that he wasn't listening to him. "I said, Jimin thinks you're cute." He gestures to the red head who much to Yoongi's annoyance is still staring down into his glass, his face shaped into a look of boredom. "You should talk to him." A smirk makes its way onto his face, as if he knew exactly what he was doing. "Go out with him and I'll owe you."

Yoongi rolls his eyes, it's not like he hasn't heard that before.

Instead he turns to ask Namjoon if he wants to leave only to find that his friend is no longer by his side. He spots Namjoon and the brunette at the bar in deep discussion and can't for the life of him figure out what they could be talking about.

He sighs, realising he's alone and figures he might as well make small talk with the guy.

He's not sure if it's the alcohol or the fact that Tae's friend is ridiculously attractive that has him staring across the table at him again. It's a minute or so before the man looks up, forgetting about the glass in his hands that he'd been almost too focused on the entire night. Yoongi is sure that the man could tell him just how many drops of condensation had fallen onto the table to form a nice water ring since they all sat down.

Jimin raises his eyebrow as if he's surprised that Yoongi is actually looking at him. When Yoongi gets up, grabbing his half empty glass with him and rounds the table Jimin shuffles in his seat as if making room for him. Yoongi stops next to the table, his eyes roaming slowly over Jimin's face as if looking at it for the first time.

"Hey," Jimin surprisingly speaks up first, almost eager to start a conversation between them

Yoongi stays nothing unable to get his mouth to form words; he blames it on the alcohol clouding his mind. He's trying to figure out just where he knows him from, but his mind continuously hits a solid wall. Jimin adverts his eyes awkwardly, unsure what to do. Eventually he sticks out his hand for Yoongi to shake.

"I'm-,"

"-Jiminie." Yoongi cuts him off.

Jimin's mouth snaps shut in surprise, not sure if he heard him right. He's surprised by the fluttering of butterflies in his stomach at Yoongi's use of the nickname Taehyung had given him.

"Jimin." Yoongi corrects, shaking his head as if he couldn't believe what he'd just said. Damn Taehyung for continuously using that ridiculous nick name around him. "I'm-,"

"-Yoongi." Jimin finishes, a grin stretching across his face causing his eyes to crinkle up at the sides. "I know."

Yoongi's has no clue how to deal with the sparkle in Jimin's eyes or the butterflies wreaking havoc in his gut.

No clue at all.

"Wait!" Yoongi announces suddenly causing Jimin to jump back in surprise. They'd both been making quite astounding small talk for a couple of guys who avoided each other for the better half of the night. They'd subconsciously leaned closer together, as to better hear what the other was saying, almost a whisper fighting against the volume of the large crowd surrounding them.

"You!" He accuses, jabbing his finger at Jimin's chest. "You're the guy who stole my donut!"

"W-What?" Jimin questions, taken aback by the accusation.

Yoongi looks him right in the eye, and Jimin isn't sure if Yoongi can actually see him through the glaze over the top of them, but he still shrinks back from the man's glare.

"That morning in the café," He explains slowly, sure that he isn't wrong. "I let you go in front of me and you brought all the donuts."

"Y-Yeah…"

Yoongi looks down at his hands and Jimin hopes to god that the elder isn't about to cry in front of him. "I wanted one." Jimin lets out a sigh when those same hard eyes are staring back at him, without a tear in sight.

The almost childish tone coupled with his glare causes Jimin to laugh out loud. "I'll buy you on next time to make up for it, okay?"

Yoongi sighs contently, taking another sip from his glass.

No other words are said between them as they both stare at their friends. Tae and Jungkook are too caught up in each other to even notice that Yoongi had approached Jimin. No, all Tae wanted was to get Yoongi out of the way so he would feel free to do whatever he wants with Jungkook right in front of him and that thought causes Yoongi to clench his jaw tightly.

Namjoon returns from the bar and informs the table that he's heading home due to an exam he has to sit mid-morning tomorrow. Yoongi knows that the younger has no need to prepare for it, knows that he will ace the test, but there's a ritual that Namjoon has had to follow for as long as Yoongi has known him and so he lets him go without a word. The other guy waves and leaves with him and Yoongi has a fleeting thought to if they're leaving together for any other reason but studying and makes a point to ask him about it later.

Jimin taps him on the hand lightly, a shy smile on his face when Yoongi turns to look at him.

"Did you want to dance?"

A shudder runs through Yoongi's body at the very thought of getting up amongst the people dancing and attempting to copy their moves. He shakes his head, causing Jimin's smile to falter slightly before its back, bright as ever.

But while Yoongi doesn't want to put his reputation on the line by dancing, he can see this gap as a way of escape, so he makes a show of yawning to grab everyone's attention and stands up.

"I'm gonna head out," He makes a point to look at each of them in turn, all staring back at him with glassy, drunken eyes. "Thanks for the invite."

He stares at Tae's stupid grin for a second too long, knowing that it will haunt him after when he closes his eyes. He knows he's not the one who put it there.

He manages to turn away and take one unsteady step before he feels fingers wrapping tightly around his wrist. He looks back over his shoulder surprised to find Jimin standing behind him, looking at him uncertainly.

"I'll walk with you," He states, in a tone that leaves no room for argument. He only shrugs beginning his journey through the thick wall of people between them and the door.

When the cool breeze hits their faces both boys let out sighs of relief, both glad to be out of the packed, hot club. Yoongi faces forward walking in the direction of his apartment, not giving a care if Jimin's is in the other direction, he never asked him to join him. H's not surprised when Jimin tags along without a word, walking half a step behind him as his eyes scan the streets around them.

Yoongi is thankful that the club isn't too far from the apartment and the short walk back will give him time to clear his head. In fact he's caught up in those very thoughts he's trying to clear his head of when Jimin touches his hand lightly. Yoongi pulls his hand away instinctively, unsure what the hell Jimin thinks he's doing. Jimin in turn jumps back, giving him a look that he can't quite place.

"Sorry," He mumbles softly, knowing that his action was dramatic.

Jimin stares at him for another few seconds before relaxing, a small smile making its way onto his face again. He shrugs and falls into step with the elder again. "So did you have a good night?"

Yoongi glances at him to make sure he's being serious. All he sees is wide, caring, if somewhat hazy eyes, which show no hint of joking. "It was...okay."

"Oh?" Jimin hums, his eyebrow raised.

Silence falls over them as Yoongi doesn't reply, not seeing a need to. Jimin lets it carry on for a while until he's breaking it again, and Yoongi has to clench his jaw to stop himself from slapping the guy. Does he not understand that Yoongi is trying to work through things after a drunken night that could have gone a lot differently if he let the alcohol get the better of him?

"You know Tae was trying to set us up, right?"

He turns to Jimin then, eyes wide and suddenly interested. Sure he had a feeling, but to hear it said out loud almost made it seem laughable. What would Jimin and him ever have in common?

"Oh, you didn't?" Jimin continues, taking Yoongi's reaction as a sign to continue filling him in. "I don't know where Tae got the idea of you and me from, but you know what it's like when Tae thinks of something. Everything sounds great to him and you either go with it or you're left behind." He pauses, looking over towards Yoongi hoping that he understands. "It's kind of hard not to get swept up in Tae, you know."

Oh he knows. He knows all too well how the smiles and the flightiness and the complete scatterbrain draw you in. He's not even sure Tae knows he has that effect on people, or maybe it's just Yoongi who got in too deep and is now trying desperately to swim to the surface to avoid drowning. Everyone else around him seems fine, breathing evenly. It's just him all alone in the ocean that is Taehyung and he has no idea how to get out. Has no idea if he actually wants to.

Because Tae owes him so many favours and he's beginning to wonder if loving him back is one of them to.

"I mean not that I don't like you, Yoongi. I do, I really do. But you seem to not be so sure."

Yoongi remembers that Jimin is still beside him and looks over, trying to focus on what the red head is saying to him.

"But maybe, if you wanted. We could hang out, or something." Jimin scratches the back of his neck, seemingly embarrassed by his own lame suggestion.

Yoongi says nothing, trying to get his brain to catch up on where the conversation is at.

"See and that is exactly what I mean, you don't even talk to me." Jimin continues, unaware that Yoongi has heard hardly any of what he's been saying. "In fact you look as though you have no idea what I'm even saying to you. Are you okay? You look like you've had too much to drink." Jimin looks at him intently, trying to discern how much Yoongi actually drank by his face.

"I'm fine," He replies, waving Jimin away.

He red head laughs, a grin making its way to his face again glad that he finally got a reaction. "So what do you think?"

"About what?"

Yoongi's almost positive even in the darkness surrounding them and the lack of streetlights that Jimin just rolled his eyes.

"About us? Hanging out sometime, getting to know each other?"

Yoongi really should have been listening to the conversation. "Yeah, I guess."

He wouldn't have even had to be looking at Jimin to know that he was grinning and yet he was and the actual image is a lot brighter and absolutely beautiful that Yoongi wishes that all he had was a conjured up image in his head to work with.

They walk in silence for a few minutes, before Yoongi realises that he's walking alone. He stops, turning back to ask Jimin what he's doing when he finds the man standing by a wooden door staring at him. Yoongi out of politeness walks the few steps back and stands with him outside the two story building.

"You live here?" He asks, as if Jimin wasn't already making it obvious with his keys clenched tightly in his hands.

"Yep, this is me."

Yoongi glances around, studying the architecture of the building feeling Jimin's eyes on him the whole time.

"Thanks for keeping me company tonight, Yoongi."

He looks back at him sensing a change in the atmosphere that he is more certainly not ready for. "Yeah, well my plus one abandoned me, so you weren't such a terrible replacement."

Jimin laughs, understanding the joking tone.

"Alright well, we will hang out, right?" He asks his tone almost needy and Jimin could have kicked himself for it.

"Of course, you owe me a donut."

Jimin rolls his eyes again at Yoongi's smirk, before both fall silent staring at each other knowing what should happen next. It would be so easy for Yoongi to take a step in or for Jimin to shift slightly to the left and he begins to when Yoongi stands up straight clearing his throat.

"I'll see you later, Jimin."

He turns away knowing that that was the moment when he should have kissed him. But the timing wasn't right and they're both drunk and both of them will most certainly regret it in the morning.

And Jimin is not Taehyung.

He glances back quickly over his shoulder and spots Jimin still standing there with an unreadable expression on his face. Yoongi passes it off as normal drunkenness because a second later he's grinning and waving his arm at him before disappearing into the building.

Yoongi laughs softly, unable to stop himself from seeing the similarities between Jimin and Tae. Perhaps that's why he feels oddly drawn to the younger; because he reminds him so much of his roommate, who has no idea how much he's hurting him every single day.

His laughter cuts off immediately realising how sick that thought sounds. He can't think of Jimin that way.

Jimin isn't Taehyung; of course Yoongi is aware of that fact.


	7. Chapter 7

Yoongi didn't manage to get a wink of sleep that night.

He'd like to say that his creative juices were flowing and he spent the entire night at his desk writing lyrics for songs that he'll never produce with a mug of half drunken coffee beside him. But Yoongi knows that it is in no one's best interest to lie.

In reality he spent the whole night sitting in his bed, his blankets tucked up under his chin to fight the cold, not bothering to get up and turn the heating on, staring at his wall as if it would give him the answers that he so desperately needed.

He thought about the fact that Tae finally invited him out. He thought about Namjoon, his only safety, ditching him to spend the entire night with one of Tae's friends. He thought about Tae and Jungkook and how they both seemed so right for each other that it almost made him physically sick. He thought about Jimin and the way he hated how he'd looked down into his glass for most of the night.

He thought about the way Jimin's smile caused butterflies to flit through his stomach.

He ended up screaming into his pillow, thankful that Tae never came home, when his thoughts went too off track.

He was mad; he knew that as a fact. But he also felt confusion mixed in which gave him an unsettled feeling in his stomach; one that sits heavily and is not easily removed.

He felt cheated, that's the only name he could think to label it with. He felt cheated by the fact that he never even knew Jungkook was coming. And maybe Tae and him knew each other from way back, but the timing almost seemed laughable to Yoongi. Because at the exact moment where he, though not intentionally, revealed his feelings to Tae, Jungkook was in the picture putting up a wall between them that Yoongi still hasn't figured out how to knock down.

But it's like he wasn't even being given the choice. Tae and Jungkook were both there behind it, enforcing it for all they were worth. Yoongi felt defeated, rejected even. But he wasn't about to let that show.

Reluctantly he heaves himself out of bed, throwing the covers from his body and immediately shivering from the cold that has settled it's self in the apartment overnight. There's a dull throbbing in the back of his head as he gets himself ready, showering rids him of the grime he feels on his body from the previous night, but it does nothing to disperse the ache of too many drinks.

He walks slowly through the apartment, getting himself a piece of toast as he pulls a sweater over his head, ruffling his hair to put it back in place. He leaves the apartment with his notebook and toast hanging out of his mouth with just enough time to get to his third lecture. He knows it's the only class that if he doesn't manage to make it he's hounded for it.

He makes it through the lecture hall doors with five minutes to spare, too much time in his opinion, which gives the other an opportunity to talk to him. Today he's just not in the mood to deal with an inquisition.

As luck would have it the whole back row is empty and he takes a seat by the far wall, hoping to remain as unnoticed as possible, as if he wasn't even there to begin with. He's just sitting down, placing his notebook on the small desk when his phone starts ringing. Cursing he pulls it out of his pocket, just barely catching the name Namjoon flashing across the screen before he rejects the call with a harsh jab of his finger.

He looks up to find the whole of the lecture theatre turned around to stare at him as if this kind of thing never happened. He's only concerned about one pair of eyes staring at him, which causes him to sigh and slump in his seat. He closes his eyes, hoping that the elder isn't going to make his way over to him, but knowing that it's inevitable that he will.

Not surprisingly a few seconds later the seat beside him creaks as someone sits down. Reluctantly he cracks his eyes open immediately met with the curious dark eyes of Kim Seokjin. He groans, feeling his hangover coming back at the mere thought of having to talk to him right this second. All thoughts of leaving the lecture early long forgotten as he knows Seokjin won't let him leave now. Something about protecting his future or some shit.

"Good Morning, Yoongi." He greets casually, making himself comfortable in his seat as he pulls out his laptop and sits it on the tray connected to his chair.

"Morning," Yoongi grumbles back, his head throbbing.

"Big night?" He asks with a chuckle, as if that wasn't obvious. Namjoon would have told him that they were going out last night, but like the responsible adult he is, Seokjin would have refused to go during the middle of the week. Yoongi thinks now that he should have done the same thing, if he knew that he was going to drag his sorry body out of bed to go to this stupid lecture.

"Something like that," He responds with a sigh, trying this best to not think about the previous night.

Their conversation ends when the lecturer takes his place on the centre of the stage, clearing his throat. He can see Seokjin paying close attention to the lecture, his fingers working their way over the keyboard every now and again as he takes notes. Yoongi can't make himself concentrate long enough to get the words from the lecturer through his brain and into his notebook. He wishes Seokjin wasn't sitting right next to him, blocking the exit he desperately wants to take. His head throbs and all he can do is put it down on his desk and pray for the hour to end soon.

Seokjin glances his way a few times, he can feel his gaze on the side of his head and he knows the elder wants to ask him what's wrong, but they both know that there is no way that is going to happen while they're stuck in here.

Yoongi checks the time on his phone under his desk to find that there is still twenty minutes of the lecture to go when the teacher is concluding his last slide. He sighs in relief when they're dismissed and files out behind Seokjin quickly, if by any chance the lecturer changes his mind and calls them back in.

"Coffee?" Is all his friend has to say for Yoongi to nod enthusiastically and forget all about getting away from him. His hungover mind still playing catch up halfway through the day.

They head across campus to one of the cafés that is usually buzzing with students, yet today seems uncharacteristically uninhabited for the time of day. They order their drinks and sit down at a booth tucked towards the back of the shop, a seat Yoongi was surprised his friend led him to.

The silence between them drags on until the waitress brings them their coffees, Yoongi doesn't even have the chance to bring it to his lips and take a hesitant sip before Seokjin is speaking, his eyes telling Yoongi all he needs to know about why he brought him here.

"How was last night?" He asks it in a way that any curious friend would, but Yoongi knows that someone else has been whispering in his ear and he's not happy about the almost pitying gaze in the slightest.

"It was fine," He replies casually taking a sip from his mug. "Got drunk."

Seokjin makes a disapproving noise, which Yoongi pretends he doesn't hear. He doesn't want to give him the satisfaction of looking down on him, not that he would, Seokjin is too good of a person for that. But Yoongi as always expects there to be something hiding just beneath the exterior.

"No wonder you look terrible," He finally says, prompting Yoongi to kick him harshly under the table.

The elder only laughs, taking a sip from his coffee before his eyes land on something over his shoulder. Yoongi raises his eyebrow in question before turning around, staring right at the approaching red hair of Jimin.

"Yoongi?" He greets his smile wide as always. "I thought that was you."

Yoongi blinks, unsure how to approach the situation as Jimin stands in front of the chair between their booth waiting for a reply. Seokjin looks between the two of them, confusion etched into his features before he sticks his hand out towards Jimin.

"Kim Seokjin." Jimin grasps his hand tightly, giving it a firm shake.

"Park Jimin."

Seokjin smiles, gesturing to the seat between himself and Yoongi for Jimin to sit. Jimin looks to Yoongi as if unsure if he should take up the invitation or not, while the eyes of Seokjin urge him to sit down.

"Uhh-," Jimin begins, uncomfortable in the setting. His eyes eventually come to settle on Yoongi once more who is looking at him curiously. "Did you sleep well last night?"

Taken aback by the question Yoongi blinks up at him, his mind racing to try and figure out why Jimin would even care over his lack of sleep or vice versa.

The question causes Yoongi to think back to last night, more specifically the almost kiss that he was so sue they both would have regretted, yet for some reason unknown to him he can't stop thinking about it. About what Jimin's lips would feel pressed up against his. With that question it's almost as if Jimin's knows and is mocking him for it. Making fun of him for his thoughts.

He watches Jimin's smile slowly fade, realising he'd done something to cause the silence; he scratches the back of his neck awkwardly.

"It's just because you look tired… Sorry I should have minded my own business." He begins to turn away while Yoongi lets him when another voice calls out telling him to join them.

Yoongi stares at Seokjin wide eyed from across the table, trying to silently convey to him why he shouldn't have done that. Seokjin shrugs, gesturing to Jimin with his head. Yoongi glares for another second before succumbing to the request of his friend. What harm can it do after all?

"Just sit, please," Yoongi instructs, gesturing to the seat between them.

Jimin steps forward immediately placing himself on the seat, his drink nestled in between his hands on the table in front of them.

Not one of them speaks as they stare down at their own mugs, save for Seokjin whose curious gaze is still trying to figure out what's going on between the two of them. In truth he brought Yoongi here to discuss what was going on with Tae and to see if there was any way he could help his friend through it. Namjoon has confided in him all that Yoongi has been going through, but looking at the two sitting with him at the table, Seokjin believes that maybe, just maybe Yoongi has already found himself someone to help him get over Tae.

If only he would realise it.

That thought brings a smile to his face, knowing that he won't be blamed for intervening if Yoongi actually wants the smiling red haired man around. He leans forward, seeing that he is the one who will have to start the conversation.

"So Jimin, what are you studying?"

He smiles again, one that has Seokjin thinking could be highly infectious if around it long enough. Perhaps Yoongi could benefit from it.

"Fine arts, dance," His eyes light up as he replies, showing true love for his studies.

"How do you two know each other?" Jumps, wanting to get past the pleasantries and to the real information.

Yoongi and Jimin both stare at each other before looking quickly away, this only piques his interest to find out details.

"I'm friends with Tae," Jimin begins and Jin finds himself nodding along. "Actually we met officially last night."

"Oh?" Jin breathes, glancing over at Yoongi for answers.

Yoongi looks back it him hesitantly, it's not the fact that he's embarrassed of what happened with Jimin, not that anything did. But he feels as though everyone is after an explanation from him that he doesn't have. With a sigh he finally speaks, telling Jin what he wants to know.

"I told you I got drunk. I went to the club with Tae and met Jungkook and Jimin. Namjoon came with me, but he ditched me to spend the entire night with another guy -,"

"Hoseok." Jimin interrupts, causing Yoongi to look at him in confusion. "His name is Jung Hoseok. He's one of mine and Jungkook's friends from dance."

"Right, Hoseok," Yoongi continues, glancing back to Jin. "Jimin and I got to talking and then we walked home."

He glances at Jimin when finished to see if he had anything more to add, but the younger remains silent, his expression one that Yoongi can't decipher. He hopes to god he's not thinking about the almost kiss.

Jin begins to open his mouth to reply, when the shrill sound of his phone ringing causes him to close it. He checks the caller id and stands up.

"Sorry, I'll catch you guys later." And then he's walking out the door.

They sit in silence as both of them watch Seokjin's retreating back, neither sure where to go from here. Yoongi feels an overwhelming pressure weighing down on him, he'd only just met Jimin last night, drunk for that matter and already he feels as though everyone including the man himself is expecting so much from him.

He feels as though he's already made so many promises, that he doesn't have a clue how to keep or if he even wants to. Promises are so much easier to be broken.

"So dance, huh?" He eventually asks in what they both know is a lame attempt to break the uncomfortable stretching silence.

Jimin scratches the back of his neck, a slight flush spreading across his cheeks that amuses Yoongi. "Yeah, I'm in a dance crew with Hoseok and Jungkook along with a few others." He pauses for a second, and Yoongi can see he has more to say.

"What is it?"

"Oh, I was just thinking that it would be cool if you came and watched." He responds with a small, almost weary smile.

Yoongi had not been expecting that. And the words almost sound as though Jimin was indirectly asking him out on a date. Yoongi shakes his head at that; once again he was allowing his mind to get too far ahead. He doesn't even want to go on a date with Jimin.

He watches Jimin's face fall, realising that he thinks the head shake was Yoongi silently rejecting him. He puts a smile on his face. "Maybe I will."

Jimin's reaction is instant, the light returning to his eyes causing them to once again shine bright and the grin that causes Yoongi's stomach to flip uncomfortably stretches across his face.

Their conversation comes easier after that, Yoongi explains with great love his course and Jimin listens with great interest at everything that spills from the elder's lips. Yoongi ends up finding it rather easy to talk to Jimin, glad that the younger isn't actually as shy as he first thought carrying his half of the conversation quite well.

Yoongi finds how much he likes being in Jimin's presence, and that terrifies him.

"You know this wasn't really what I had in mind when I said we should hang out," Jimin suddenly says quietly, staring down into his half empty coffee mug, breaking Yoongi out of his thoughts.

"Oh?" He asks, eyebrow raised in question. "Is this not hanging out? Two guys sharing coffee and conversation though with the exception of a donut that one of them is still owed." He means it as a joke of course but Jimin's eyes stare up into his in panic, his hands already reaching for his wallet to pay Yoongi back.

"No, stop!" He says loudly, placing his hand over Jimin's to stop him from getting any money out. The younger looks at him in confusion, no doubt the both of them can feel the heat rushing through their hands at the contact. "They don't even sell any here. You can get me one next time."

"Next time?" Jimin asks cautiously, as if he thought their chat wasn't going too well. Yoongi slowly pulls his hand from Jimin's placing it back around his coffee mug, trying desperately to ignore the cold ache that replaces the heat almost instantly.

"Yes, next time."

Jimin smiles.

Yoongi can't put a name to the sickness swirling through his gut. He enjoys Jimin's company, no more and no less than he enjoys anybody else's. But he cannot deny that there is something different, something he's not too sure of that pulls him towards the younger, which has him fighting a smile at everything he says.

And that has Yoongi scared, because he's only felt like this with one other person and even then it was different, because Jimin is not Taehyung.

Yoongi knows that.

But still…


	8. Chapter 8

Yoongi is waiting for Tae to ask him how he is.

He's sure any second Tae will shut his mouth and ask Yoongi how he's really feeling. He'll demand that Yoongi stop putting up a front and just be straight with him so they can both get over this and get on with their lives.

But Tae doesn't do that, because that's not the type f person that he is. He's too invested in the conversation he's trying to have with Yoongi, while the elder thinks about anything else.

And Yoongi wants to scream in Tae's face just how he's feeling and just how not okay he is, but he doesn't think that's fair. So he walks beside him, nodding every so often at the appropriate times in Tae's story and pretends like he cares.

Honestly he's surprised that Tae even asked him to come out with him, and it's only when he's already met up with him and walking the street does he realise why. Because amongst Tae's rambling Yoongi had managed to catch that both Jungkook and Hoseok are at dance practice and of course that leaves Tae alone. The thought that Jimin would be there with them briefly crosses his mind, before he shoves it away, confused as to why he would be thinking about him right now.

Yoongi wonders if Tae has any other friends, he's sure that he does, so perhaps he should feel somewhat privileged to be the one that Tae wants to hang out with.

"Hey!" He's snapped out of his thoughts by Tae's loud voice and the tugging on his jacket sleeve.

"What?" He snaps back, annoyed at the younger.

"Let's go in here," Tae returns with a grin, pointing at a clothing shop which is not in Yoongi's taste.

He enters after him with a reluctant sigh, scanning the shelves in an effort to seem engaged when all he wants to do is be cooped up in his room working on songs.

Tae flits from shelf to shelf calling the attention of the shop attendant who walks quickly towards him, her heels clicking across the wood floor as she does so. Yoongi watches as she pulls items from the shelf, helping Tae hold them against his torso, his reflection shooting a large grin at Yoongi, who turns away pretending not to know him.

It's when Tae is in the change room for what Yoongi feels is an excessive amount of time when he decides that enough it enough. This entire time all he could think about was getting away and retreating to his room, his safe haven, but once again to his own dismay he's continuously given in to his roommate, who seems just as oblivious as usual.

"Tae!" He shouts, banging against the door causing it to rattle on its hinges. "How much longer are you going to make me stay here?"

There's no answer as he puts his ear closer to the wood, hearing a muffled voice coming from the other side. "Tae?"

The door sings open inwards, causing Yoongi to come face to face with Tae dressed once again in his normal clothes. Yoongi rights himself, sure what it must have looked like with his face pressed against the door.

"You weren't trying to peek in on me were you?" Tae asks with a sly smile, not realising that it's still too soon for jokes about a certain revelation.

Yoongi just rolls his eyes, turning around to make his way out of the shop. He hears the sound of thumping feet as Tae trails after him, eager to not be left behind.

"Where are you going?" He asks when they get back onto the street, Yoongi had begun to walk back in the direction of their apartment, but now he thinks that was the wrong choice.

"Home?"

"Oh no," Tae responds with a shake of his head. "I just got a call; we've got somewhere to be." He grabs Yoongi's hand and drags him across the road and walking in the opposite direction.

"Where are we going?" He asks, annoyed, pulling his hand from Tae's grasp and shoving it in his pocket. The place where Tae had been holding burns from the contact and he tries to wish it away.

Tae looks over his shoulder, his grin still plastered on his face. "It's a secret, but I promise you'll like it."

Yoongi just huffs, opting to look across the street at the other people mulling around at this time of day. He can't concentrate enough to imagine what lives they lead, but he can only assume that of right now, at this very moment, all of them are better than his.

They walk in silence for a few blocks each seemingly lost in their own thoughts when Tae decides to break it.

"So what do you think of Jiminie?"

The question catches Yoongi off guard, causing him to stumble over a crack in the sidewalk before righting himself again. "W-What?" He manages to choke out.

Tae gives him a concerned look before facing forward again. "Jiminie. What do you think of him?"

Yoongi racks his brain for the feelings that he had when he was with the younger. What did he think about him? Well that really was the question Yoongi has been asking himself since that night in the club. What feelings does Jimin actually give him? Sure there was the almost kiss, which Yoongi wasn't disgusted by. But there was also no kiss, because Yoongi himself put a stop to it before things could get out of hand. He enjoys being in his company and yet he can't say he feels that it is that much different than being with his other friends, all except Tae that is, who leaves his stomach in knots and his head spinning. So what did that mean?

He shrugs, settling on nonchalance. "He's okay, I suppose."

"He's okay?" Tae repeats, testing the words for himself before frowning at the street in front of him. "He really likes you, you know?"

No Yoongi didn't know, and having someone say that to him only causes his stomach to twist even more in discomfort, he only hopes that wherever Tae is taking him will do well to calm his nerves.

"You should give him a chance; you might be surprised what happens," Tae states, his smile back in place as he stops outside of a nondescript building.

"Where are we?" Yoongi changes the subject as his eyes glance over the cement building dotted with large window that he's sure have fantastic views of the surrounding city.

"You'll see," He responds, pulling the glass door open and stepping inside. Yoongi has to step forward quickly to catch the door before it swings back and slams against the side of the building.

He follows Tae up a flight of stairs which lead them to a small flat area before another flight takes them further up. The pounding of music flows to Yoongi's ears as they are about half way up the second flight, his muscles already disagreeing with the exercise he's putting them through. The Music is loud as Tae stops outside a wooden door and stares back at him waiting for him to make it up the last few steps. He gives Tae a confused look as he stands next to him.

Tae grins and opens the door without so much as a knock and the pop music almost immediately begins to thump in Yoongi's head, causing a throbbing headache to start up. Just what he needs. He enters the room, the floor shaking with the pounding of feet as a group of dancers move in front of the wall length mirrors.

No, Tae cannot have brought him here right now.

He scans the people dancing who are yet to notice that Tae just barged his way in as if he had every right to do so. The first one he notices is Jungkook, and his stomach instantly twists in on its self-further, he doesn't think he has the strength to deal with seeing him today. The next is Hoseok, the one who he only knows by name and is yet to actually say a word to. He's in the middle of the group and seems to be the one directing them through the routine. The last one he notices, strange because his red hair is still as bright as ever, is Jimin who stands beside Hoseok and looks to be taking every word to heart, his movements look as though he's had years of practice, his body moving effortlessly across the floor.

"Yoongi," Tae's voice drifts to him from where he stands by a bench on the far side of the room.

Without hesitation Yoongi strides over to him, hoping that no one else saw him openly gawking at the group. He sits down beside Taehyung, his eyes drifting slowly over to watch the carefully choreographed dance; the thumping of their feet seems to bounce off the four walls, which is only broken every now again with either directions or encouragement from Hoseok in the centre.

Yoongi finds himself watching Jimin carefully,

He has never been a dancer, nor had the skill to even consider it an option. But with the way that Jimin danced with his carefully constructed moves reminded Yoongi greatly of the way he makes songs. The way he carefully selects notes, and beats and a rhythm before planning words out with the upmost care and precision.

Though he found that he needed very little effort to produce songs that he found worthy.

Jimin dances the way he constructs songs, simply and carefree as though he was doing it for the sheer enjoyment and not the end prize.

Yoongi felt warmth spreading throughout his stomach, untwisting the knots that had been holding him all day and spread outwards to the very ends of his fingers tips and toes. He felt as though seeing Jimin like this, in this way, the younger might just understand a part of him that Yoongi has always been wanting.

In that moment, watching Jimin, Yoongi felt the absolute pressing need to write a song.

The music is shut off then, breaking Yoongi out of his trance and he looks away quickly to make sure he isn't caught staring by the red head and can save himself at least some embarrassment. The group makes their way towards them, each covered in copious amounts of sweat as they reach for their towels and drink bottles. Tae has a grin on his face the whole time and Yoongi can't help but notice who it is directed at. The last one to walk over, Jungkook, who has a lazy smile on his face that Yoongi has an almost pressing need to wipe off.

"Yoongi?" A high voice asks from his left causing him to turn away from Jungkook. He's met with the sight of Jimin still breathing heavily as he wipes his towel across his forehead. The sight of him in loose shorts and a t-shirt causes his breath to hitch in his throat for a second before he clears in and offers a small smile.

"Hey, Jimin."

He takes a seat beside him, grabbing his water bottle from the floor and takes a sip, his breathing evening out as the seconds tick by. "You know when I said you should come and watch me; I didn't think you actually would."

There's a shy smile on Jimin's face which Yoongi believes could have been embarrassment, but it couldn't be. Not when Jimin danced that well, he wouldn't be embarrassed by people coming to watch him.

"Actually I didn't know that I was coming here." Jimin cocks his head in confusion. "Tae brought me here. We were out shopping and -,"

Yoongi watches the way Jimin's eyes flit over to Tae, the corner of his mouth pulls down slightly before he's looking back at Yoongi, small smile back on his face as though nothing happened.

"Well it doesn't matter how you came to be here, what matters is that you are. Actually I'm glad you are because there is something I wanted to ask you…"

Jimin continues talking but Yoongi's thoughts have drifted to something else, something that caught his attention just at the corner of his eye.

Tae and Jungkook are standing together talking in hushed whispers that he has no hope of hearing before Tae splits off standing to face himself in the wall high mirrors. He hunkers down, which Yoongi recognises from the start of the choreography they walked in on.

Tae's not going to dance is he?

Jungkook starts up some music on his phone and Yoongi stops in place, watching the way Tae begins to dance. Unlike Jimin, Tae's body is more rigid in his movements, seemingly unable to figure out how to flow seamlessly and fluidly as Jimin does. Though Yoongi finds it pleasing to watch, he can't tell if it's because of his feelings for Tae or if he can dance. It's probably the former as the next step Tae takes sends him fumbling in a heap of flailing limbs at Jungkook's feet.

He watches as Jungkook squats down, looking down at Tae with an amused expression, his roommate staring up at his boyfriend with a cheeky grin.

What Yoongi wouldn't give to have Tae look at him like that.

He watches as Tae's grin widens, his arms reach up around Jungkook's neck and before either of them has a chance to react Tae is pulling him down on top of him, not caring about the weight of another body crushing down on him. Jungkook flails in a thrash of limbs as he falls onto Tae laughing as if it was the funniest thing he'd ever done. The smiles on their faces causes an anger to sit low in Yoongi's stomach just waiting for anything to set it off.

He doesn't have to wait long as Tae pulls Jungkook towards him, nothing separating their bodies now but thin clothing. Their mouths connect in a harsh way, both desperate and clumsy at the same time. Yoongi watches on as if in some sort of trance, unable to look away as he tries to get the oxygen in the air around him to flow into his lungs. He feels as though he's suffocating at the only thing that could save him is if Tae rejects Jungkook and runs to him instead. Realising all along he'd made a mistake.

Yoongi feels a tugging on his hand and it takes all the effort he can muster to turn his eyes away from the couple and see that had the audacity to distract him. He figures he should thank them for saving him from the torment of watching, but in the moment he's angrier at the fact that someone else is demanding his attention.

The wide eyes of Jimin stare at him in concern and Yoongi knows that he's missed everything the younger has been saying to him. Jimin begins to open his mouth, his eyes flitting behind Yoongi to see what he'd been staring at, but Yoongi speaks first, pulling his hand out of his grip and turning away.

"Don't touch me." The threat in his voice frightens even him, and he manages to turn back to him seeing the look on Jimin's face that he can only describe as distress, over what he's not sure. With a reluctance sigh he lets a 'sorry' slip from his lips quietly and even he's not sure if Jimin heard him or not, before he's walking over to the couple before he can stop himself.

He's aware of all eyes on him and yet that doesn't make his feet cease moving to their destination. Tae and Jungkook remain oblivious to all around them and so it's no surprise at all that Jungkook les out a surprised yelp when Yoongi pulls him off Tae by the back of his t-shirt and pushes him away.

"What the-,"

Yoongi stands staring down at Tae, hating himself for the tears he feels threating to fall from his eyes.

"Yoongi?" Tae questions, pushing himself up until he stands looking down slightly at his roommate.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Yoongi whispers harshly, not wanting to be over heard but the way the room was made causes his words to bounce off the walls and echo back in his ears. He knows everyone can hear them.

"What?" Tae asks, visibly confused by Yoongi's actions.

"Why the fuck did you bring me here?" He breathes deeply, his voice growing louder. "Why did you bring me here with you and do that?"

With Tae standing in front of him at a loss for words Jungkook steps back up, putting his body between the two like a sort of flesh wall. Yoongi would have no problem trying to go through him; in fact he's just itching for an excuse.

"Yoongi, what are you doing?"

He glares at him, dark eyes meeting dark eyes, neither willing to back down. And the fact that Jungkook doesn't even look angry causes his own anger to rise. In fact Yoongi is sure he can see pity in the younger's eyes and how dare someone pity him. "Get out of the way, this has nothing to do with you." He spits.

Jungkook laughs at that and Yoongi's teeth grind. "You're kidding right?"

"Does it look like I'm fucking kidding?" He moves to step around Jungkook to get to Tae when the younger puts his hand out and grabs hold of his arm, he winces from the tight grip unable to move further. "Get your hand off me."

"No."

He breathes in deeply, both in an effort to calm himself and to look menacing. Neither works.

"How could you do this to me, Taehyung?" He looks around at Tae, ignoring Jungkook and the grip that remains on his arm. Tae stares at him, his dark eyes pleading with Yoongi to just calm down so they can talk it through, but Yoongi is beyond that point and he knows it.

"Yoongi…" He begins, trying to gather his thoughts. Trying to put together sentences that will help Yoongi, but he doesn't get the chance.

Yoongi rips his arm out of Jungkook's grip, stumbling back a few steps to regain his balance, before he speaks in a low tone his anger just bubbling under the surface. He speaks in a tone that causes goosebumps to rise over Tae's arms, his hairs standing on end.

"I'm sorry," He shakes his head as if he couldn't believe himself what he had just done. "I don't know what came over me, it's not like you're even worth it anyway."

For just a second Taehyung forgets how to breathe.


End file.
